Sunday, March 02, 2014

Indian MoD Orders Probe Into Rolls-Royce Aero Engine Deals

The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will shortly begin a detailed investigation into aircraft engine contracts in India. Based on a direct recommendation by the Board of Directors at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Defence Minister A.K. Antony yesterday ordered the CBI to probe all aero engine deals between 2007-2011.

These almost definitely pertain to the supply of Adour Mk.951 turbofan engines for the BAE Hawk license build. It is not clear yet if the investigation could also delve into other engine contracts beyond that stipulated timeframe. Apart from the Hawk, RollsRoyce aero engines currently power the Indian Air Force's Jaguar fighter-bombers and C-130J Super Hercules transports.

It won't happen for sure, but here's hoping the CBI gets to do some digging at HAL too. For a company that has spent half a century doing nothing but cookie-cutting aircraft and engines, there's plenty of potential muck to be revealed there.

Rogues n Rascals (RR) have been milking HAL and others for decades with defective products. Investigations are going on in Indonesia and China. Sudhir Choudhrie was arrested, and President of Rolls Royce Aerospace fired. There are other agents who are probably known to HAL and some key PMO past officials.

Cookie cutting is the absolute right word to be used for HAL. Can the MoD share how the direct recommendations by the Board of Directors at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is valid/relevant.

Sack all the HAL directors for all the project delays. No Tejas in sight, Sukhoi MKI 30's production slower and more costly that made in Russia, IJT...hello...some where lost between here & no where...

What recommendations are they going to give....when their own house is not in order

So is investigating corrupt officials the prime reason for the existence of the CBI? When will the common man get any benefit from the CBI. The real issues is within and therefore it's about time we blacklist our corrupt babus before pointing a figure to anyone outside. Mr. Anthony being the leader at MOD, should take the moral responsibility for these things happening under his watch.

So RR will be black listed for Aero Engines even though no solid proofs will be found against them(Like happened in AW VVIP chopper case).French Snecma is thrown out by this mafia to develop Indian Kavery engine.Russian engines those power Mig-29 and Su-30 MKI are not considered Cutting Edge engines and hence not suited for Indian Tejas or AMCA project (Note we are manufacturing Mig-29 and Su-30 Mki engines in India ).And for some unknown(strange ?) reasons MOD/GTRE/HAL does not wish to collaborate with Russians to develop our Kavery engine ? But we say and feel proud of IAF flying Russian made Su-30 MKI WITH Russian engine, as one the best flying machines in the world today..??

So Kavery will not be developed.

So who is left ? So we can conclude the same company is working behind the scene with MOD and Politicians and Bureaucrats..to secure orders for Tejas Mk|| and AMCA also.

i was shocked when in one of it's newsletter HAL was proudly writing that they have developed certain engine parts for MIG 27, MIG 21, which IAF is phasing out soon, and now this Defence Minister who is drumming up his credentials on cost of india's defence preparedness.

Has anybody realised for how long AJT and IJT projects are going on with less or no success. The money lost in Kaveri project with no success. The amount of money lost in undecided n delayed projects because of changes in foreign currencies. Who is responsible the compnies who want to sell their product or our government officials who are not able to decide and take years in transfering one file from one babu to another with no results. Our ministers are just good at pin pointing and not doing any work. Finishing their tenure on so called good terms with no result. Why the deadlnes are not met? Why babaus, ministers and govt officials job are not taken away when they are proved ineffient? Am sure nobody has ans to this. China n now pakistan is capable to produce aircraft, submarine and we are just busy doing blame games. Three cheers to all ministers n govt officials at all level. Be happy in your secured job with pensions and facility on retirement.

If a war breaks up just before or after the elections, India would pay a heavy price due to MoD's working.During and after the War, the civilians would ask questions at only one chair and that is the Chair of the Chiefs of the Armed Forces. No MoD official is known either by name nor rank, the political party will blame the Chiefs in case of a failure. The ranks within the forces would look up at their chain of command leading to the Chief's chair.Even if the Chiefs state that the RM and MoD denied the forces what was due, at thats why the Indian ARmed Forces were helpless in front of the enemy the blame would still rest with the Chiefs apart from the statement coming in too late. The nation would still blame them for not standing firm against the MoD and political class. The only way the chiefs can protect their image and decades of patriotic service then, is to highlight the situation very very vocally during their tenure so that they have an alibi when the shit hits the fan.

HAL has notoriously blackmailed iAF and are clearly responsible for deaths of young Assets of the country. No personnel can be asked to jeopardize his life due to criminal negligence of another.The MiG 21 episode should serve as an example. It tarnished the image of the 21 as well as IAF due to faulty lethargic and criminally negligent attitude of MoD and HAL. Due to HAL , pilots lost their lives.

If the IAF would have stipulated a time frame for incorporating a trainer after which HAL would be answerable for deaths and accidents, them IAF's image would have not taken such a big dent. Thus if the hawk becomes non flyable and once again there is a void in the IAF with respect to trainers, the IAF should put its hand up and stop training as it is because of MoD and HAL that the void occurs and the iAF is not irresponsible to train young pilots without trainers or on dangerous products of HAL or skips the training portion or substitute with something else.

Thus the IAF to save its own image should asks the President to disband the present MoD completely for which the nation has paid a heavy price.It should be pointed that1) On one hand MoD/HAL and others talk of corruption in all deals yet on the other hand the ARmed forces are without any arms!!!! It should be pointed out that MoD passes its time by signing deals and then canceling them which is weakening the nation and a serious treachery charge should be instigated.

2) On one hand MoD signs for deals and then talks of faulty deals yet no heads are rolled in the MoD yet the armed forces pay a heavy price. For ex the IAF was without a proper trainer for over a decade and when it started getting one HAL took objection.

3)Thus the IAF should notify the nation that the MoD working is weakening India and that its personnel are not guinea Pigs and if the current scenario continues then the nation will have to deal with mass resignation from the armed forces due to an un professional HAL/DRDO and an un patriotic corrupt MoD.

If the Hawk engines are un serviceable and there is a void in the IAF due to it, the IAF should not make another "juggad" as this juggad would then land the iAF in the answerable seat when things go wrong and the core of HAL stopping Hawk engines form coiming in would then be hidden the the hulabaloo. Sindurtana's example of using batteries from another submarine serves us well here..Sufferer is the navy, casualty is the navy, Image of the navy took dent, MoD is earning money and HAL's Chief would still want to fly an imaginary plane.

In all this muck and mess, we must sympathise with BMW (owner of Rolls Royce Motor Cars) who are facing severe erosion of image due to their aerospace cousin Rolls Royce. On the flip side the aerospace Rolls Royce all along gained from the iconic automotive Rolls Royce. I think BMW must demand damages to reputation from Roll Royce in India, Indonesia and China.